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Abel to Yzerman

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12/24 Current Events

by IwoCPO on 12/24/06 at 01:33 PM ET
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What happens when a hockey-dumb Detroit columnist spews a few sentences about a topic he should be avoiding at all costs?  In some cases, ridicule from yours truly...well, in all cases...a story shelf life of about an hour, followed by crickets.

Not this time.  A few days ago we pointed you to Drew Sharp’s manifesto on the ills of the NHL.  This line in particular prompted some quality conversation.

Sharp/Free Press

The NHL has made several missteps over the last two years. But the biggest mistake is that Bettman didn’t do whatever it took to renew the NHL’s relationship with ESPN after the lockout—even if it meant paying the network for a limited schedule.

If you’ll follow the comments in the original KK post, you’ll see quite the debate regarding attendance, the game itself, and the part played by ESPN and Versus.

My opinion on ESPN vs Versus.  ESPN has the ability to advertise its programming across the entire media spectrum, a variety of channels to air the sport, money to push it, talent to produce it and...most importantly...the audience to attract.  Losing the ESPN contract was the death of hockey in the U.S. as a top 5 sport.  Oh, we were headed in that direction.  But, that was the final nail.  Little Gary needs to suck it up and get the game back on the only sports network that matters.  Credibility stems from recognition.  Recognition will not be found on Versus.  It just won’t. 

What happens when a hockey-dumb broadcaster (Art Regner) gets fired from a drive-time radio slot in Detroit?  Easy.  The hockey-dumb reporter (Terry Foster), and “friend”, who took his place immediately crouches into a defensive stance.  What makes it worse?  Rambling, and I mean RAMBLING, on his blog, continually claiming he had no role in the bloodshed, rambling to the point that you’re forced to wonder...did he?

I don’t know if you read Foster’s Sports Inferno.  If you do, every few days you’ll see his true colors.  Babbling, stream-of-consciousness, grammatically horrid stuff that inevitably leads to “woe-is-us at WXYT” stuff.  Today is no exception.

There are people who want us to go away. They hate our show and hate our station and will celebrate the day we go away.

They sit around and spread lies and half truths and try to paint me and Mike as these devil worshippers who are trying to ruin the world.

Really?  Is that what paranoia sounds like?  I’m just wonderin’.

I never politicked for the afternoons. Here is what happened. During first meetings with both program directors I was asked what are my goals in radio. And I said I want to get better, learn the trade better and do drive time some day. I said that should be anybody`s goal.

Umm...the more you deny…

In the past week I`ve heard that I back stabbed Art and got him fired. I heard I went into Dan Zampillos office “every other week” to get The Big Show taken off the air. I also heard that I told Rob Parker about the station changes that he spilled on Clubhouse Confidential last week on Channel 4.

None of that is true.

Whatever.  What matters to me is whether we can expect the change to prompt more and better Wing coverage.  Will Foster’s switch to the drive time slot mean we can anticipate a ramp-up in quality of the discussion regarding Detroit’s most successful sports franchise?

I doubt it.

Terry Foster/Detroit News--Oct. 30th, 2006

And guess what? The Red Wings are no longer one of my guilty pleasures. I have not watched an entire game since the playoffs last season. I watch Dancing with the Stars more often than the Wings.

Enjoy your drives home Wing fans.

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